Developer of Allentown's waterfront picked for Iron Works site in Catasauqua

HARRY FISHER/MORNING CALL FILE PHOTO

Catasauqua Borough Council has selected the developer of Allentown’s riverfront redevelopment project to transform its Iron Works site into an entertainment district with a walkable downtown.

Catasauqua Borough Council has selected the developer of Allentown’s riverfront redevelopment project to transform its Iron Works site into an entertainment district with a walkable downtown. (HARRY FISHER/MORNING CALL FILE PHOTO)

Kevin DuffySpecial to The Morning Call

Catasauqua Borough Council has selected the developer of Allentown’s riverfront redevelopment project to transform its Iron Works site into an entertainment district with a walkable downtown.

Council unanimously agreed with its review committee to enter into negotiations with Dunn Twiggar Company toward a purchase agreement of the remaining 10 acres of the 12.5 acre site on Bridge Street.

Founded in 2005 by Ryan Dunn and Andrew Twiggar, the Bethlehem company, along with Jaindl Properties and Michael Dunn Company, formed The Waterfront Development Company in 2012 to redevelop Allentown’s waterfront district.

Councilwoman Christine Weaver said Dunn Twiggar was the only respondent to the borough’s request for proposals that went out in September, but that the committee was so impressed with what the Realtor/developer came back with that no further searches were issued.

“They pretty-much checked all the boxes,” she said following council’s meeting Monday.

The borough, she said, would like to have an agreement of sale in place in 3 to 6 months in order to move forward.

Weaver said Dunn Twiggar’s ideas for the site align with the comprehensive plan laid out by Spillman Farmer Architects, who designed and built the borough’s new municipal building, opened this year, which anchors the site.

Designated a brownfield, she said the developer’s experience dealing with environmental and remediation concerns in those matters was key to their selection for the Iron Works site.

“They knew what we were looking for,” she said.

That vision includes retail and commercial uses with apartments and office space, integrating the parcel into the existing businesses along Front Street in order to create an atmosphere that promotes outdoor dining and a vibrant nightlife.

The borough purchased the former FLSmidth site in 2013 for $750,000. They later created a new waterfront zoning district to enable development.